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If you are going to build for own website then selecting the control panel is a critical task for you because your overall website hosting experience depends on the functionalities and usability of the control panel that the web hosting provider is offering. There is no doubt that the control panels are one of the most common and simplest methods of controlling servers This article is a detailed comparison between cPanel Vs Plesk that would allow you to gain more understanding of the functionalities and usability of both control panels. In-depth knowledge of these control panels would also allow you to select the best control panel for you depending on your hosting needs and usability. The control panels allow the users to manage all the functions of their website easily. A control panel can make the task of managing the website either very hard or super easy depending on your experience and features of the control panel. Both control panels are very different in nature.

There are many hosting providers that offer different control panel options to the clients. The functionality and usability of all control panels are quite different from each other, that’s why it is very important for the client to select the control panel that he is more familiar with and it should match your level of experience. Selecting the right control panel for your business will allow you to manage your website with minimum hassle. These control panels are related to each other and they are also well known for their simple and effective website management.

cPanel Vs Plesk

There are similarities and differences between both control panels and in this article, I would compare them to analyze their market credibility and trust among the customers. Before comparing, let’s get an overview of both control panels.

cPanel

It is the most widely used control panel that has an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes website management tasks very easy for users. You can get a smooth hosting experience by using this control panel. This control panel is a trusted source to operate your website effectively. It is the first choice of hosting providers of all sizes. You can do Linux hosting with cPanel on it but for the Windows support through virtualization setup. The cPanel server offers many tools to customers such as backup tools and database tools.  It is also used with the WHM panel to power up your hosting platform.

The cPanel is very open to educating its clients and empowering more hosting providers in the market. You can easily find the video tutorials, documentation, and knowledge bases offered by this control panel for its clients. Most of the time this control panel is named WHM, The WHM is an administrative tool that you can use to manage more than one account on cPanel.  It is a very cool option for individuals who have more than one cPanel.

Plesk

Just like cPanel, Plesk is also a control panel that is majorly used for Windows hosting. A Plesk control panel is an ideal option for Windows-based servers. You can use the Plesk panel to easily control the hosting tasks of your website without any trouble. Using this control panel can mechanize all tasks on your website business or your everyday business server operations would also handle effectively. You can get automatic updates, patches, and bug fixes with Plesk.

Plesk goes beyond the competencies of other web-based tools for the management of resources on your website. It is an all-inclusive multi-level control panel, providing the server manager with a lot of graphic interface choices to maintain and set up complete Plesk web hosting for the end-user. It is one of the best options available for shared hosting solutions configuration as it is for dedicated and virtual servers’ setup. The Plesk-supported operating systems comprise Red Hat, Fedora, FreeBSD, Windows, Debian, SuSE, Ubuntu, and CentOS.

User Interfaces and Ease of Use

When it comes to the user interface, both control panels seem quite similar to each other. However, there is still some difference in both control panels when it comes to the user interface.

cPanel

The dashboard of cPanel is simpler and easier to navigate and it is the best option for beginners, who have no experience of hosting before. The cPanel has a more user-friendly interface as compared with Plesk. In Linux cPanel, each item is assembled into segments. Database, Files, Email, Domain, Security, Metrics, Applications, and Software, are the diverse segments you will see on the dashboard. In this hosting panel, all sections are clearly labeled, so the users would not have any issue finding the required information. So, it can be said that the dashboard of the cPanel is very user-friendly and here, you can navigate from one page to another without any trouble. Some of the users complained that this control panel is very messy and there are a lot of things presented on one page. The cPanel & WHM have a user interface to backup files restoring. All of the similar features are grouped together and it also allows the customers to customize their dashboard.

Plesk

The dashboard of the Plesk is quite different from cPanel because it uses a different model for controlling tasks. The features on the dashboard, in the case of Plesk, are very much dependent on the individual settings of the website. The processes and activities in this control panel are a bit complex as compared with cPanel. It is more likely to focus on websites and domains than the features. This panel allows the top-level settings in a panel that make it more easily accessible than the cPanel. Plesk Oynx provides the Redesigned UX/UI with up-to-date technology of JavaScript. The Plesk control panel is very much like the WordPress admin panel. It is a cleaner and tidier panel compared with the cPanel and that is why is preferred by developers and professionals.

It is not very hard to learn what makes it is the beginners’ friendly panel. Because of its clean interface, it is now easier for the user to locate all features.

Functionality and Features

cPanel

The cPanel is a Linux-based panel. Its supported distributives are Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Cloud Linux, and CentOS. It basically involves WHM and cPanel– WHM is available for the administration tasks related to the server and access provides control over the website.  cPanel offers a user-friendly interface with complete control over all of the features of cPanel/WHM. cPHulk, AutoSSL, and built-in CSF/LFD support are some useful features for security control. The cPanel WordPress manager is distant from excellence. auto-installers can be used to get some extra apps. The issues of compatibility can be marked between many backup versions of cPanel. Docker, Node.Js & Git are still maintained by cPanel, though here the nature of work is complicated.

Plesk

Both Windows and Linux operating systems are supported on Plesk. Windows OS is Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012. Linux OS are CentOS, Debian, Cloudlinux 6-7, Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise 6-7, Virtuozzo. There is a combined authorization process for administrators and users. You can get full Git support with the Gitman extension in Plesk 12.5.

 Current UX/UI built on React.Js ready to code set up with the support of PHP, Javascript, Perl, Python, Ruby on Rails, .NET, and Java. There are many security features offered such as Revision Antivirus, Fail2ban WordPress Toolkit, and Plesk Firewall offer full management & automation features which are important for the support of WordPress setup. It derives with various extensions ecosystem, covering all requirements of any server manager. Some of the extensions are WordPress Toolkit, Security Advisor, SEO Toolkit, Let’s Encrypt SSL support, and Joomla! Toolkit, etc. It also provides some solutions based on Acronis, Dropbox, and Google Drive and offers support for Git, Node.js, Docker, and WordPress Toolkit.

Cost Comparison

Different service providers offer control panel services to the users at different prices. The price plan of both control panels is quite different depending on the services that they are offering in the market. Following is an overview of prices for both penal services and you can choose the one that better meets your business requirements.

cPanel

The cPanel also offers 3 deals for the VPS, Dedicated, and Solo servers. It offers clients both monthly and yearly based deals and it completely depends on your choice that which deal is best suited for your business. it offers more than 30% of partners discounts to its clients. The users who do the annual deals are more likely to get discounts. It offers free SSL certificates to the websites hosted on it. It offers 3 deals to its customers ranging from $15 to $45 monthly. Depending on the business needs, the customers can pay on a yearly or monthly basis. A user can make up to three years of purchasing on this panel. One benefit of getting long-term deals is that your overall cPanel cost of service would be cut down and there are also chances that you will get some discount from the company for making a long-term purchase.

Plesk

The Plesk 3 control panel deals with both dedicated servers and VPS. The first plan is for the big business, for example, if you are managing around 25 servers, then the partner program of the Plesk is an ideal option for you. For the medium to small businesses, the monthly payment options are also offered by the Plesk. It also offers some discounts to its clients depending on the annual plans of the users. It offers 3 deals to clients that start from $4.17 up to $29.17 on a monthly basis, based on the deals you select. Before purchasing any deal, I would recommend you analyze the descriptions of the deal carefully so you can have an idea about what you are going to get in the deal and if it is the right option for your business.

Support and Backups

cPanel

As mentioned earlier cPanel is quite rich in features and specifications, offering to value-adding clients. It possesses a top-notch and highly functional email management program. Which makes it easier to quickly access their account. The user also gets features including anti-fraud and anti-virus protection. Coming towards cPanel backups, they are manually performed and are kept within the directory of local backups of your own server. Moreover, you are able to raise tickets on cPanel customer support. All that you have to do is make a call to their customer service.

The customer support representative will do whatever it takes to solve your issue. Get automated backups and restorations with cPanel hosting. The best security feature which is offered by cPanel consists of the automatic installation of an SSL certificate. This also means password-protected directories and unauthorized IP address denials. It offers whitelist or blacklist, separate IPs or entire countries or regions. It also encrypts every outbound message and provides multi-factor verification to clients along with easy third-party integration.

Plesk

Plesk offers an astonishing specification of data back and restores which allows the user to do the following:

•   Backup the whole server as required

•   You can also backup user accounts one by one with relevant websites

•   Backup the individual subscriptions made by end-users

•  Scheduled backups and restoring desired data from backup archives

Plesk backup is mainly stored within two locations namely internal Plesk storage and external FTP storage. Its storage is situated at your Plesk server whereas external FTP storage is located on any external server on a local network or web. Moreover, these technical backups occur whenever the resellers or administrators tend to back up client subscriptions as a portion of some larger backup. It also offers password protection to its users. This makes it completely impossible for a hacker to compromise the user’s confidential information. Whenever you are restoring data you are asked to enter the password as part of the Plesk security check.

Operating System

cPanel

This control panel only works on the Linux Platform. Some of the OS compatible with cPanel are as follows:

• CenOS
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• CloudLinux
• Amazon Linux

The newest version of cPanel & WHM is compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, and CloudLinux OS.

Plesk

The Plesk is a more versatile control panel as it is compatible with both Windows and Linux servers. You can say that it is a multi-platform panel that can run on different OS. Now You Can Get 1-Click SSL Security with Plesk. Some of the major operating systems that are supported by Plesk are as follows:

• Ubuntu
• Cloud Linux
• Virtuozzo Linux
• Debian
• CentOS
• Amazon Linux
• Windows Server 2008 R2 SP

For a specific OS that you are using, you have to purchase a Plesk deal. You cannot purchase it for a sole software group and then use it on numerous machines that have diverse OS.

Security

When it comes to security both control panels have a strong security front. These control panels provide their clients with a variety of security features to keep their data and resources safe and protected.

cPanel

Here are some of the security features provided by cPanel.

• It provides the cPHulk brute force protection.
• You can get Email spam filters with cPanel.
• AutoSSL renews and installs “Let’s Encrypt” SSL certificates.
• Here, you can get support for CSF (Config-Server Security and Firewall).
• In the case of cPanel, every user can use IP blocker, SSH access, leech protection, hotlink protection, two-factor authentication, and ModSecurity,

Plesk

Here are some of the security features provided by Plesk.

• Just like cPanel, Plesk AutoSSL automatically renews and installs the Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates.
• In Plesk, the Fail2ban is a tool to ban IP addresses and scan log files that seem like doing some malevolent stuff. Plesk offers strong website and server security.
• The Plesk Firewall is a custom firewall that can be organized by you.
• In the Plesk, the ImunifyAV is a smart monitoring and antivirus tool; monitoring domain reputation, one-click cleanup of malware, checking blacklist status.
• Here you can also get the Email spam filters.

Conclusion

This article provides in-depth information about control panels that would help you in selecting the best control panel to fulfill your hosting needs. Both Plesk and cPanel are very much similar to each other and they are known for their effective and easy website management. cPanel is a reliable source to effectively operate your website. You can use Plesk to manage all of the hosting tasks of your website without any difficulty. It can be said that the cPanel dashboard is more user-friendly compared with Plesk and here, you can navigate between pages without any difficulty. The deals and hosting plans of these control panels are very different based on the services that they are offering to the customers.

The activities and processes in the Plesk control panel are more complex than the cPanel. As far as the backups of cPanel, they are performed and are kept within the local backup directory of your server. Plesk storage is placed on your server while FTP storage is situated on any outside server on the local network. So, it can be said that the Plesk is a multi-platform panel and it is compatible with different operating systems. All in all, you can say that in both control panels, the AutoSSL automatically renews and installs “Let’s Encrypt” SSL certificates. I hope the information shared in this article will help in selecting the right control panel for your website. You can share your thoughts about the article with us, in the comments section.